Is Imane Khelif Out of the 2025 World Boxing Championship? All We Know About Lin Yu-Ting’s Withdrawal Over Gender Row

Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning gold medals in their respective welterweight (66kg) and featherweight (57kg) weight classes. However, their participation in the games didn’t come without any issue, as they found themselves in the middle of a gender controversy. It stemmed from their participation in the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing unspecified gender eligibility tests. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had banned the IBA over governance issues and defended both Khelif and Yu-ting’s participation, affirming they met eligibility criteria based on their passports. Now, the 2025 World Boxing Championship is upon us, taking place from September 4-14, 2025 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. World Boxing, which gained recognition from the IOC in February 2025, will govern the tournament. So, the question is, will Khelif and Yu-ting participate? 

Lin Yu-ting Won’t Be Participating in the 2025 World Boxing Championship

The Taiwanese Olympic gold medalist, Lin Yu-ting, has officially withdrawn from the 2025 World Boxing Championship, the Chinese Taipei Boxing Association announced on September 2. The 29-year-old had previously agreed to undergo the mandatory genetic sex testing introduced by World Boxing earlier this year. Notably, fighters over the age of 18 are required to participate in a World Boxing-sanctioned polymerase chain reaction genetic test to determine their gender at birth.

Her coach, Tseng Tzu-chiang, had even confirmed to AFP about the same at the time. The Chinese Taipei Boxing Association submitted the test results to World Boxing, but they never received any response from the governing body. This caused uncertainty among them, and officials came to the decision that Yu-ting would withdraw from the tournament. “We cannot allow the athlete to travel to the UK without any guarantee,” the association was quoted as saying. But what about Khelif? Is she heading to Liverpool? 

Imane Khelif Is Adamant About Participating in the World Championship

26-year-old Imane Khelif has repeatedly defended her identity, claiming, “I was born a woman,” pointing towards her long history in women’s boxing. She even set sights on defending her title in the 2028 Olympic Games. However, for now, she is fighting outside the ring to get her right to compete. 

She is determined to participate in the world championships despite World Boxing’s demand that she undergo genetic sex testing. On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed Khelif had appealed World Boxing’s ruling, seeking to overturn the testing requirement. Khelif wants to bypass the testing and be allowed to compete without it. 

CAS noted that “the parties are currently exchanging written submissions and, with their agreement, a hearing will be scheduled.” However, her request to bypass the testing was dismissed by World Boxing, as the hearing is pending. 

From the looks of things, it will be difficult for Imane Khelif to participate in the 2025 World Boxing Championship. And with Lin Yu-ting already out of the picture, neither boxer may be part of the tournament. What are your thoughts on the matter?